While alcohol doesn’t necessarily affect everyone the same way, it can cause some people to gain weight due to its high-calorie content and the way it affects metabolism, hunger-hormones, and decision making. So, if you’re eating pizza or even a light salad with your cocktail, the calories from that food get stored as fat instead of burned for energy. Obviously, if you’re 100% committed to losing weight, you should avoid alcohol altogether. It’s also important to note that alcohol can change the way your body burns fat, so keeping consumption to a minimum is always preferable. For one, drinking too much vodka can cause gassiness, diarrhea, painful bowel movements, a feeling of fullness in your abdomen, and bloating.
Alcohol and weight gain
But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat. Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. When it comes to getting the most alcohol for the fewest calories, shots and straight booze on the rocks are the way to go. « There isn’t much of a difference between 80-proof hard liquors, » Cederquist says. « They all have around the same amount of calories and carbohydrates. » And as calories increase along with alcohol content, the difference isn’t huge.
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These savory-sweet elixirs are made by blending fruit syrup with vinegar or another acidic liquid like cranberry juice concentrate or lemonade concentrate. The result is a tangy but still flavorful beverage that can stand up to even the strongest liquors in mixed drinks. To understand how vodka leads to weight gain, we need to take a close look at what happens in our bodies when we consume alcohol.
Can Alcohol Cause Weight Gain?
And when it comes to celebrating, we feel it’s important to drop the extra cash on something nice. While any sparkling wine will keep (roughly) the same low calorie count, can you gain weight from vodka we think the Yellow Label Brut by Veuve Clicquot is as good as they come. It’s dry without being too puckery and pairs well with everything from pasta to birthday cake.
- Another reason why consuming large amounts of alcohol can lead to weight gain is that it negatively affects metabolism.
- The calories in alcohol are « empty, » meaning they contain little to no beneficial nutrients or minerals.
- It has been examined across small and large cohorts, in many countries, across various ethnicities and age groups [4].
- Well, yeah, but they actually tend to have a higher percentage of their calories coming from alcohol compared to standard brews.
- As strange as it sounds, there are times when alcohol consumption can make you even lose weight.
It’s not just alcohol but also what you mix your drink with that can add extra calories to your overall intake. Sugar-laden juices and sodas often containing more calories than alcohol https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/the-connection-between-alcoholism-and-anger/ itself! If keeping slim figure is important for you while indulging in a few drinks at happy hour or parties, then opt for low-calorie mixers such as sparkling water instead.
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However, excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to an increase in calories and decreased metabolism, which may contribute to weight gain over time. You can still enjoy vodka while trying to lose weight as it’s all about moderation and smart choices. Instead of opting for sugary premixed cocktails like piña coladas or margaritas that pack in additional calories from mixers and syrups, choose low-calorie alternatives like soda water instead. The science behind this correlation lies in the fact that alcohol, including vodka, contains empty calories. Unlike protein-rich foods or complex carbohydrates, there is minimal nutritional value to be derived from alcohol consumption. In simpler terms, every shot of vodka you consume adds up to your daily calorie intake without providing any significant essential nutrients.
Anderson recommends Lundberg Family Farms Thin Stackers Brown Rice Lightly Salted Grain Cakes. Statins, a class of drugs that includes Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Mevacor (lovastatin), are the primary medical therapy for cholesterol. When taken along with lifestyle interventions, statins are very effective, lowering LDL cholesterol between 25 and 55%. In this article, you’ll learn how to lower cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes and when to consider medications. A person may prefer a flavored or infused vodka to combining plain vodka with a calorie-rich mixer. Most of the sugars and starches in the original foods are converted into ethanol.
- However, vodka is lower in calories per serving compared to other alcoholic beverages like beer or wine.
- When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
- So if you worry that you’ll be piling on the pounds with sugary drinks, this could be why vodka is your best bet—it has only trace amounts of sugar.
- And if you’re malnourished, you’re at risk for a whole host of medical problems, according to Medical News Today.
- Intake of alcoholic beverages can also inhibit proper digestive function.
Alcohol can possibly trigger the Whoosh Effect if you’ve been dieting and exercising hard for a while. Your body will stubbornly hold onto some water weight until there’s an influx of calories. Then your body will know that food is available to “flush out” what it’s been holding on to. The Whoosh Effect is a real phenomenon that happens when your body suddenly flushes out the stubborn weight. Switching to a low-carb alcoholic seltzer is also better if weight maintenance or loss is your goal.